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Were some of you watching the same game we were? The Lakers defense was actually quite good for the majority of the game-- Harden went 3/19, lin was held to 8 points, Parsons went 5/16. You can't ask for much more on that side of the floor on a night to night basis.

The problem this time around was defending the glass and the team re-gaining momentum after hack-a-dwight late. That last 6 minute sequence really undid the strides they made tonight.

Exactly. It's like the Lakers lose all energy and inspiration once the hack a Howard starts. Two games in a row now. Once the hack a Howard strategy starts, they need to play harder, not relax.

Kobe taking 31 shots will not win games. How come he refuse to become a facilitator? He should know that when his sharing the ball we win big. WTF is going on!

A) He's a shooting guard, doing what shooting guards do, and doing it well. 39 pts on 14/31 from the field, with 6 rbs and 2 stl is a pretty good game.

B) He no longer has a wingman who can knock down free throws, so passing the ball in crunch time puts his team at a disadvantage. Heck, he wasn't even getting a chance to make that choice, since the other team was VOLUNTEERING to foul.

Were some of you watching the same game we were? The Lakers defense was actually quite good for the majority of the game-- Harden went 3/19, lin was held to 8 points, Parsons went 5/16. You can't ask for much more on that side of the floor on a night to night basis.

The problem this time around was defending the glass and the team re-gaining momentum after hack-a-dwight late. That last 6 minute sequence really undid the strides they made tonight.

Well, hack-a-dwight seemed to have an effect on the team's defense in the final 6 minutes, because they couldn't get many stops, and in fact there were several outright breakdowns.

What did he do wrong? He was a hero in the offseason, then fired the coach everyone hated.

He gets credit for this???? He fired the coach everyone on this green Earth EXCEPT HIM knew shouldn't have been hired in the first place, and whom he stuck with until this season started, instead of recognizing the mistake during the off-season. I wouldn't even assume that he made the decision to fire him.

You're a waste of time.......... Without Kobe this team would be totally horrible..... Go back to sniffing Nash's dirty leg cast

Yep, without Kobe the team would be worse. I like all the Laker players by the way. You seem to think this is some kind of player vs player thing. Me, I just want to see Kobe play his natural role off the ball and not trying to create offense. Its not his strength. When I see a problem in the game I point it out.

I still think Kobe should take the most shots and take the big shots...he just should not be the one creating offense most of the time. Offense should go start with Howard/Gasol/Nash.

Its not the defense. Rockets shot 37% from the field. We lost because we turned the ball over 19 times, we missed 12 free throws and we allowed the Rockets to grab 21 offensive rebounds. We need to block out. I don't know why we are not doing it.

Their 2nd best rebounder was sitting on the bench.

Or, if you prefer, their 3rd best rebounder was sitting on the bench. Their 2nd-best rebounder played 14 minutes.

A word to the wise: Phil Jackson understood this. Championships are won in the paint. 3-point shooting should be a complement to that, and a complement only. 1-in-4-out seldom wins championships. (Only Hakeem's Rockets).

I know fans like 3-point shooting, and it makes sense. The ABA guys wanted it to be basketball's version of a homerun, and chick's dig the long ball. However, "stretch 4s" like Jamison and Anderson are never going to be as valuable to a championship team as players like Gasol and Hill.

I'm pro-D'Antoni, but I'm disappointed in his inability to adapt his strategy to his personnel. I'm not going to write him off, though.